“100,000 Americans died in the skies over Europe.”
That number seems high.
Source: 398th BG newsletter (http://personal.psu.edu/kbf107/Losses.html)
“During World War II, one in three airmen survived the air battle over Europe. The losses were extraordinary. The casualties suffered by the Eighth Air Force were about half of the U.S. Army Air Force’s casualties (47,483 out of 115,332), including more than 26,000 dead.”
My uncle went on a bombing raid to Germany, where over 500 of the men were lost in one night.
Being a bomber crewman was so deadly, a man could go home after 25 missions. Most didn’t make it during the early years of the war when fighter cover wasn’t available all the way to the targets. Once the fighters had to turn back, Luftwaffer fighters had a very easy time shooting down bombers. There were some bomber raids that resulted in 15-20 crew losses.
Got much better with the introduction of 51 .ustangs with upgraded British Merlin engines with drop tanks and better fuel management.
The 100,000 number isn’t high. Seeing that the U.S. had a total of about 316 KIA during WW II, bomber crews suffered an exceptionally high death rate.